What’s all the hype about feeling “hyped” pre-workout?
It’s no secret that pre-workout contains one holy grail ingredient - caffeine.
While some may refute this saying that other common pre-workout ingredients are also “holy” in their own right, it’s hard to deny the evidence which supports caffeine being the # 1 supplement for acute performance enhancement.
Given this, above we have listed various popular pre-workout brands and their respective cost and caffeine content per 10g scoop. For individual dosages, it is recommended to consume 3-6mg/kg/bw of caffeine 1 hour prior to exercise to experience a 1-3% improvement in performance.
Apart from caffeine, there are additional evidence-based supplements that are commonly included in pre-workout formulas that may also act as ergogenic aids. These, and their respective dosages required to improve performance, include:
Creatine = 3-5g
L-citrulline = 6-8g
Beta-Alanine = 3-6g
Furthermore, bear in mind that pre-workouts are proprietary blends and often not only formulated with the ingredients above, but also a combination of BCAA’s, B-Vitamins, Vitamin C, Arginine, Glycine, L-Glutamine, L-Tyrosine, Taurine, Theobromine, glucose, artificial sweeteners, electrolytes and more!
This is an important consideration when purchasing a pre-workout, because the more ingredients a proprietary blend contains the more variance there will be in the actual dosage of each supplement per scoop…
Also, given that the average pre-workout scoop is 10g, and the combination of evidence-based supplements alone far exceed this… it begs the question of whether or not you’re truly capitalising on improving your performance when religiously taking a pre-workout supplement.
The truth is, if your goal is to be maximally stimulated prior to training, then it’s far more effective to buy single ingredient supplements and create your own properly dosed concoction. Otherwise, continue to enjoy your current pre-workout of choice and fingers crossed the caffeine content gives you a legitimate buzz and it’s not just an under-dosed placebo 😝